Nitro World Games Invade Salt Lake City This Weekend

John Burns
by John Burns

Here’s your chance to get the kids out of the house for the weekend. Travis Pastrana and his band of merry men, including Ken Block, Tanner Foust, Scott Speed, et al, will all be competing at Utah Motorsports Campus near SLC, in four- and two-wheel disciplines, including Rallycross and Freestyle MX.

Nitro World Games Press Release:

Salt Lake City – The world’s best Rallycross drivers and FMX athletes have arrived in Salt Lake City for the planet’s premier action sports competition. With the weekend’s action forecast calling for high speeds, record setting heights, and an increased chance of excitement, fans can expect a high-adrenaline weekend thanks to the third annual Nitro World Games. Tickets are still available at NitroWorldGames.com.

The flag drops on Saturday, September 22nd with the inaugural Nitro Rallycross qualifying races going down at Utah Motorsports Campus. Top drivers including Ken Block, Tanner Foust, Scott Speed, Travis Pastrana, Mattias Ekstrom, Chris Atkinson, Steve Aripin, Patrik Sandell, and Timmy Hansen will go head-to-head on their journey to the first ever NRX podium. Nine renowned drivers each with their own unique style plan to do whatever it takes to make it to the finals. Of the initial nine, only three drivers will make it straight to the semifinals while the remaining six will be left to battle it out in Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ). Of the six LCQ drivers fighting for a spot in semifinals, three will make it through putting the semifinal field at a solid six.

Moving into Sunday, six elite drivers will go head-to-head in an intense semifinal where two drivers will be eliminated from the field. From there, the final four will battle it out on the one of a kind rallycross track that features one of the largest jumps in Rallycross history. Click here for an exclusive interview with Travis Pastrana on Nitro Rallycross.

NRX Saturday Sept 22nd:

NRX Sunday Sept 23rd:

FMX Quarterpipe

The Nitro World Games FMX Quarterpipe is a one of a kind, innovative beast that stands 32’ tall, 70’ wide, and is the largest mechanical moto quarterpipe in the world. With such a massive field of play, fans can expect the moto world height record to be shattered. Only six riders were brave enough to step up and attempt to conquer the beast in its Nitro World Games debut. Fan favorite Axell Hodges looks to carry his success from X Games into this year’s Nitro World Games while Colby Raha and underdog Corey Creed know they have what it takes to pull off an upset. Rounding out the field is a highly talented group of riders that include X Games step-up champ Jarryd McNeil, Kohl Denney, and Elijah Aldoff.

Formatting will be simple. Riders will have two attempts to make it over the starting height. Once all riders have made it over the baseline height, Nitro World Games officials will raise the distance to clear by six feet. Any rider who fails to clear the set height with their two attempts will be knocked out of the competition. Finally, when the field is down to two riders, they will go head to head trading turns on the ramp as they raise the bar, but the riders will always have one last chance to one-up the other rider until a rider misses the set height twice or declines to attempt the set height.

FMX Quarterpipe Sunday Sept 23rd:

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FMX Best Trick

Back by popular demand, the record shattering Nitro World Games FMX Best Trick competition returns to Salt Lake City for its third year. During the inaugural 2016 Nitro World Games fans witnessed Gregg Duffy take home gold by landing an unbelievable double front flip on a motorcycle. In 2017, we saw Australian madman Harry Bink land the world’s first front flip rock solid on a motorcycle, and as we head into the 2018 Nitro World Games, only time will tell what we’ll see accomplished this year.

Each athlete will be given two attempts to execute the best trick of their choice with judges scoring on degree of difficulty in real-time.

FMX Best Trick Sunday Sept 23rd:

About Utah Motorsports Campus

Utah Motorsports Campus is one of the premier facilities in the industry. It has hosted some of the most prestigious car and motorcycle racing series in the world, including the Pirelli World Challenge and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) National Championship for cars, as well as the MotoAmerica Superbike Challenge for motorcycles. The facility also fosters the growth of motorsports with a variety of other professional and amateur racing series. Located just a short drive from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah Motorsports Campus has been an integral part of the state’s sports culture and motorsports scene for over a decade.

About Nitro World Games

Created by Nitro Circus and action sports icon Travis Pastrana, Nitro World Games pushes the limits of action sports competition. Featuring new big air formats, breakthrough ramp technology and innovative judging criteria, Nitro World Games shifted the landscape for both athletes and the industry alike in its 2016 debut. Over 25,000 people saw it all go down live in Salt Lake City, while viewer numbers for its live TV broadcast surpassed all expectations and Nitro Circus’ global livestream reached a hungry audience worldwide.

Now, with the addition of Nitro Rallycross and FMX Quarterpipe, Nitro World Games is set to revolutionize action sports competition once again. Further announcements regarding BMX, Skate and Scooter are coming soon, as well as more details on how fans outside of Salt Lake City can watch the action.

Nitro World Games 2018 sponsors include the Utah Sports Commission, Red Bull, Kevlar, Yokohama, United States Air Force, Subaru and Volkswagen.

Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission said, “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with one of the top action sports events in the world, the Nitro World Games, that also brings significant economic impact and extensive international exposure to our great State.”

“We are so excited to team up with Red Bull for Nitro Rallycross,” said Travis Pastrana. “The years of experience in the sport they bring to the table validates our vision for the best rallycross event in the world.”

“We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Nitro World Games in 2018 and especially excited to be able to showcase our product this year,” said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama Tire, Vice President of Marketing. “We’ve got a great history and a lot of experience in Rallycross and will be bringing the ADVAN A054 as the official spec tire for the NRX competition. Our tire, combined with these drivers on Nitro’s track, is going to make for some great racing.”

For more information head to NitroWorldGames.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

John Burns
John Burns

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